I'm very surprised seeing this today, young man was one of those kids you build a franchise around, was a pillar in his comunity, a fierce competitor and was fixing to become a father. Only 24, My God, I could of been one of his friends. My thoughts and prayers are 18th him and his family.

chevyman58 wrote:Unfortunately, odds are alcohol will be a contributing factor.

First reports said that it wasn't. But high speed was.

Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez and his two friends who died in a boat crash in September smelled of alcohol after divers recovered their bodies, according to the Miami Herald.

That information comes from a search warrant affidavit obtained by the Herald. The warrant says investigators believe the driver of the boat was operating the vessel with a “recklessness” that was “exacerbated by the consumption of alcohol.”

The warrant, released by the Miami-Dade state attorney’s office Wednesday, also alleges that investigators found evidence that the driver of the vessel was running at a high rate of speed and with a “recklessness’’ that was “exacerbated by the consumption of alcohol.”

Really hoped that this wasn't going to end up being the case, especially after they first said that alcohol wasn't a factor that they knew of. The alcohol doesn't really surprise me though, the cocaine on the other hand definitely does.

Just adds to an already sad situation that most likely could have been avoided.

I believe I read both his friends' families have filed wrongful death suits against Fernandez's estate. Fernandez owned the boat. His attorney already making public comment that Fernandez wasn't driving. So far, authorities have been unable to determine who was.

So what's his MLB contract obligation? Does his payroll stop at death & get voided thereafter? He was making $2.8M this year & was Arb2 eligible this coming Winter.

chevyman58 wrote:So what's his MLB contract obligation? Does his payroll stop at death & get voided thereafter? He was making $2.8M this year & was Arb2 eligible this coming Winter.

I believe this is the case. The organization has no more contractual obligation to the player or his estate.

I remember this being discussed a little following Darryl Kile's death. The Cardinals did something for his family, but the details were never revealed whether it was just an additional payment or if they completed paying out his contract or something like that.

An investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has determined that former Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez was responsible for the violent boat crash that killed him and two others off the coast of South Beach last September.

According to David Ovalle of the Miami Herald, the investigation determined that Fernandez was driving the boat at top speed (65 mph) the night it crashed, and he was intoxicated while doing it. Those two findings ultimately led to the conclusion that Fernandez was responsible for the accident.

“Fernandez operated [the boat] with his normal faculties impaired, in a reckless manner, at an extreme high rate of speed, in the darkness of the night, in an area with known navigational hazards such as rock jetties and channel markers,” the report concluded.

Since the crash on Sept. 25, Fernandez’s attorney has maintained that Fernandez was not driving the boat that night, pointing to a phone conversation between Fernandez and nightclub manager Yuri Perez that was supposedly taking place when the crash occurred. But phone records show that call happened more than ten minutes before the time of the accident. Additionally, investigators say Fernandez’s injuries prove that he was behind the wheel.